1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rich calling line handling and more particularly, the present invention relates to a technique utilizing rich calling line service to deliver multimedia information in the form of RCLIP (Rich Calling Line Identification Presentation) data from a caller to a called party.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, when a caller initiates a telephone call to a called party, at best, the called party receives the telephone number of the caller utilizing the presently available Caller ID service and may receive the name of the caller if the telephone network of the called party has the capability of accessing a database which correlates telephone numbers with registered users of these telephone numbers or alternatively, if the terminal of the called party has a stored database which correlates telephone numbers with registered users of these telephone numbers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,449 to Nadeau discloses a method and apparatus for automatic call setup in different network domains, that is, a method and a system for managing communication sessions originating in either one of a telecommunications network, such as the PSTN network or a mobile telephone network, and a data communications network such as the Internet. The system includes a service logic controller supporting a data structure that holds a plurality of communication session disposition program records. The service logic controller connects with the telecommunications network and with the data communications network through respective gateways that transmit communication session disposition inquiry messages. In response to those messages, the service logic controller retrieves the appropriate communication session disposition program. If the program is instructive to establish an Internet domain connection, the service logic controller transmits to a gatekeeper functional element an Internet address request. The service logic controller then generates an instruction to the entity that originated the inquiry message in accordance with a response from the gatekeeper functional element. If the program does not require an Internet connection, the service logic controller generates an instruction to the entity that originated the inquiry message in accordance with the program itself. The communication session is then processed according to the instruction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,363 to Miller discloses a method and system for the recording and selective accessing of messages using a computer, a remote unit, and a public communication system. As noted in Miller, a telephone messaging system is provided that includes a telephonic component, a computer, and an interface between the telephonic component and the computer. The telephonic component receives and processes messaging requests from a remote unit. The computer stores messages and provides message information to the telephonic component in response to the messaging requests. The interface allows the computer to operate at a faster speed than the telephonic component. The computer contains a fast memory and a primary storage device for storing message data. The telephone messaging system is accessed by first storing a message in memory, then providing an n-word title for the message, each word being k-characters. Then a number of topic terms are created to identify the message by combining the n words from the title in two-word combinations without concern as to the order of each of the n topic words in the q topic terms. Messages stored in the system can then be accessed by the topic terms.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,127 to Smith et al. discloses a telephone system using recorded messages to make outbound announcements. As noted in Smith et al., an automated telephone system includes a telephone terminal for communicating with a remote party over a telephone line; a storage device for storing a plurality of pre-recorded voice messages entered through said terminal; and a service controller connected to the telephone terminal and the storage device. The service controller is responsive to commands entered through the telephone terminal either to store spoken messages in said storage device and associate them with a unique identifier, or to access a selected one of the stored messages using its unique identifier and replay it over the telephone line to a remote party.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,105 to Becher discloses a method for it ministry additional services in a mobile communication network. As noted in Becher, for administering additional services, additional information about the allocation of additional services to service control units and about the status of the respective additional service are stored subscriber-associated in two memory units of the mobile communication network allocated to a subscriber. In a call setup, an interrogation of this additional information ensues. This can lead to a service request at the allocated service control unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,264 to Huotari discloses a method for activating intelligent network services in a mobile communication system, and a mobile communication system. That is, Huotari relates to a mobile communication network and a method for activating intelligent network services in the mobile communication network. In the invention, the mobile services switching center (MSC) operates as the service switching point of the intelligent network. The mobile services switching center stores the service triggers, which service triggers comprise the triggering criteria for the services and the information required for visiting the service control point (SCP). The mobile subscriber""s subscriber data in the subscriber database (HLR) is provided with an intelligent network service trigger key which points to one or more service triggers. As the mobile services switching center obtains the trigger key of the mobile subscriber during the call setup, it activates the service triggers indicated by the key. As the triggering criteria of the service trigger are met at some phase of the call, the mobile services switching center triggers the respective intelligent network service in the service control point (SCP) indicated by the service trigger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,752 to Sebestyen discloses a method and arrangement for connection setup and control of digitally compressed audio, video and data signals between videotelephones of the analog and digital communication networks (for example, telephone network, mobile telecommunication) and a method and arrangement for the transmission of still pictures and/or between videotelephones of the same category are disclosed. In videotelephony, a bi-directional full-duplex information exchange is fundamentally assumed in both directions, that is, both communicating videotelephone terminal equipment are usually transmitter and receiver of audio, video, control and, potentially, other information types at the same time. The method for connection setup between videotelephone communication terminal equipment in a transmission network using a protected transmission protocol in a framework of ITU-T V.8 initialization and of an ITU-T V.34 modem, has the steps of: supporting videotelephone communication within the framework of the ITU-T V.8 initialization in that at least a request for high transmission quality for videotelephone communication is signaled to the network during connection setup between a calling terminal equipment and a called terminal equipment; and recognizing in the calling terminal equipment a type of the called terminal equipment and a type of the transmission network connected thereto.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,792 to Aoki discloses a mobile communication system and a method of communication mode transition, that is, a mobile communication system which enables any combinations of communication of speech signal and data signal to perform even during telephone communication is realized. In a mobile communication system provided with a base station control apparatus being connected to an ISDN switching unit, when data signal transmission is required while a mobile station being communicating with an ISDN terminal, a speech signal half-rate processing operation and a data signal transmission operation are commenced between the mobile station and the base station control apparatus. As for TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) frames of signal between the mobile station and the base station, the full-rate (32 Kbps) speech signal is contained in all frames when only speech communication is performed, and each of the half-rare (16 Kbps) processed speech signal and the data signal is contained in every other frames alternatively when both of speech and data communication are performed simultaneously. At the ISDN terminal, speech signal is transferred through the B channel and data signal is transferred through the D channel.
However, none of these references teach or suggest utilizing rich calling line service to deliver multimedia information from a caller to a called party as in the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a telecommunications system utilizing rich calling line handling in call setup signaling to forward RCLIP (Rich Calling Line Identification Presentation) data.
In more detail, it is an object of the present invention to provide a telecommunications system comprising a calling party terminal of a caller; a network, the calling party terminal being selectively connected thereto; and a called party terminal of a called party, the network being selectively connected to the called party terminal, wherein, upon the caller desiring to initiate a call to the called party without RCLIP data, the calling party terminal forwards at least one call setup signal without attached RCLIP data via the network to the called party terminal. In some cases, it is necessary for the calling party terminal to forward more than one call setup signal since it may be necessary to divide the RCLIP data into several call setup signals due to the limited capability of each call setup signal to carry additional information, for example.
Furthermore, upon the caller desiring to initiate a call to the called party with caller generated RCLIP data, the calling party forwards at least one call setup signal with attached RCLIP data to the network which in turn forwards the at least one call setup signal with attached RCLIP data to the called party terminal.
Still furthermore, upon the caller desiring to initiate a call to the called party with RCLIP data stored in an RCLIP database in the network, the calling party forwards at least one call setup signal with an indicator indicating which piece of RCLIP data is to be forwarded to the called party to the network and the network accesses its RCLIP database to recover the piece of RCLIP data corresponding to the indicator forwarded by the calling party and forwards this RCLIP data attached to the at least one call setup signal to the called party terminal.
In addition, it is another object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a telecommunications system utilizing rich calling the line handling in call setup signaling to forward RCLIP (Rich Calling Line Identification Presentation) data, the system comprising: a calling party terminal of a caller; a network, the calling party terminal being selectively connected thereto; and a called party terminal of a called party, the network being selectively connected to the called party terminal, the method comprising the calling party terminal forwarding at least one call setup signal without attached RCLIP data via the network to the called party terminal upon the caller desiring to initiate a call to the called party without RCLIP data; and the calling party forwarding at least one call setup signal with attached RCLIP data to the network which in turn forwards the at least one call setup signal with attached RCLIP data to the called party terminal upon the caller desiring to initiate a call to the called party with caller generated RCLIP data; and the calling party forwarding at least one call setup signal with an indicator indicating which piece of RCLIP data is to be forwarded to the called party to the network and the network accesses its RCLIP database to recover the piece of RCLIP data corresponding to the indicator forwarded by the calling party and forwards this RCLIP data attached to the at least one call setup signal to the called party terminal upon the caller desiring to initiate a call to the called party with RCLIP data stored in an RCLIP database in the network.